Possessige The Personality Changes
Polly hasn’t opened the screen door; she’s talking to Laurel through the mesh, as she would to a peddler.
“I heard that your daughter was sick, so I came to visit her,” Laurel says. “I bought a pie.”
“You should have waited,” Polly says. “She’s not dead yet.” Laurel steps backward, as if she’d been slapped :p.144.
When Laurel Smith comes to visit Amanda, Polly does not give good respond. Polly tries to reject her. She feels suspicious with her visit, and Laurel Smith knows
about that. “You don’t have to invite me inside if you don’t want to,” Laurel Smith
says. “I don’t know why you‘re here,” Polly says.
“Why are you here?” “I just thought most kids liked apple pie,” Laurel says. “I always loved it.”
:p.144
Polly does not want Laurel Smith is getting closer with Amanda because it means that Amanda will spend her time with Laurel, not with her own mother. Still,
when Laurel enters the house, Polly does not give good respond, she does not ask her to sit down.
Laurel Smith is still standing when Amanda comes upstairs; she has not been invited to sit down :p.145.
Amanda likes the flower which Laurel Smith brings and she is interested with Laurel’s hair that is pulled back into French braid. Knowing that Amanda has interest
on her hair, Laurel offers Amanda how to make the braid and Amanda agrees. Polly realizes if she allows Amanda to go with Laurel, she has to share Amanda’s time with
Laurel, and it seems not a good idea for her. Polly does not want it happens and it makes her to reject Laurel’s offer indirectly.
“I could teach you to do your hair like this,” Laurel says. Polly narrows her eyes; she realizes that she has read Amanda’s mind just easily
as Laurel has. “Yeah?” Amanda says.
“Would that be okay?” Laurel asks Polly.
“I’m sure you’re busy,” Polly says. “No,” Laurel says. “The most important thing I have to do today is buy cat
food.” “You have a cat?” Amanda asks, as if this were the most fascinating piece of
information she’d ever heard. “Grandma and Grandpa are coming over,” Polly says weakly.
“Not for a while,” Amanda says. She looks very small, and younger than her age. “Oh, please”
Polly and Laurel Smith look at each other. “All right,” Polly says :p.146.
Finally Polly allows Laurel to teach Amanda in making the braids. Polly is still wondering and asking what is the purpose behind that. She feels suspicious and asks
directly to Laurel about it. “Why are you doing this?” Polly says, suspiciously. She figures she has a right
to be suspicious when a woman who communes with spirits wants to brush her daughter’s hair :pp.146-147.
Polly has a dynamic character, in which it changes from the beginning and at the end of the story. By the end of the story, Polly is described not to be a possessive
mother anymore. She dismisses her possessive feeling after she talks with Laurel Smith. They meet in the tournament in which Amanda does the last performance. Actually
when Polly knows that Laurel comes, she does not want to say hello with Laurel but finally she does it because Ivan persuades her.
“I can’t believe this,” Polly says to Ivan. “Laurel Smith is here.” “It’s a free country,” Ivan says. “It’s a free gym.”
“Hah,” Polly snorts, and Ivan wonders if she’s thinking about all the meets he missed last year.
“We should go over and say hello,” Ivan tells Polly. “Absolutely not,” Polly says.
“Fine,” Ivan says. “I’ll go.” “Don’t,” Polly says, and she’s not kidding :p.179.
Polly finally says hello to Laurel but she says something rude to her. She shows that she does not like Laurel comes to their family life, especially Amanda. But Laurel
tells her that Amanda belongs to her, no one can take Amanda from her. What is said by
Laurel makes Polly realizes that it is correct. Amanda is her daughter and no one can take her away from her side.
“I’ll go over and get her,” Polly finally says. […] You’re sitting on the wrong side,” Polly calls from the floor.
[…] “Why don’t you sit with us?” Polly says with absolutely no warmth. “Oh, no. I couldn’t,” Laurel says.
“You’ve already forced yourself on us, you might as well go ahead and sit with us,” Polly blurts out.
She turns away from Laurel, shocked by what she’s said. “I’m sorry,” Polly says now.
“If she didn’t love you, she wouldn’t need to talk to me,” Laurel Smith says. “Don’t say that,” Polly snaps. “Don’t you dare tell me what my daughter needs.”
[…] “I could never steal her away from you,” Laurel says. “She can’t be stolen. She’s yours.”
Polly can’t speak, but she nods her head. “I don’t have to sit with you,” Laurel says.
“Sit with us,” Polly says. “Really,” she says. “I want you to.” :pp.180-181.
Amanda will always be her daughter, now and forever. That’s why she can stand and watch as Amanda runs outside so quickly you’d think she was weightless,
you’d think she was flying straight into the sun :p.189.